When you're working with people who don't speak the same language as you, you may need to use a translator. In Google Sheets, you can translate into other languages, making collaborating or reviewing spreadsheets a little easier.
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There are two ways to translate languages in Google Sheets. The first method uses a function and formula, while the second uses a third-party add-in .Take a look at how to use each to choose the best one for you.
Just like Google offers its own translation tool, it also provides a feature for Google Sheets. GOOGLETRANSLATE allows you to translate specific text in a cell with a simple formula.
The syntax for the formula is GOOGLETRANSLATE(text, source_language, target_language). As mentioned, you can use a cell reference or enter the text within quotation marks.
If you don't enter a source language, the formula automatically detects it, and if you don't enter a target language, it uses the system language by default. For both, you'll enter the two-letter language code in quotes.
To translate the same text using its cell reference (A1) and the same languages, you would use this formula:
=GOOGLETRANSLATE(A1″en”,”es”)
If you have the two-letter language codes in cells, you can also reference those in the formula. To translate cell A1 from the language in cell A2 to the language in cell A3 use:
=GOOGLETRANSLATE(A1,A2,A3)
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While the above function is a good option, you may not be a fan of using functions and formulas. In that case, the free Google Sheets add-on Translate My Sheetwill be especially useful.
After installing the add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace, you can translate a selection of cells or your entire spreadsheet.
Go to the “Extensions” tab, select “Translate my sheet” and select “Start new translation” in the pop-up menu.
When the sidebar opens, you can configure the tool. You'll see the Source Language set to Autodetect, but you can select a different language in the drop-down list if you want. Then, select the Target Language.
At the bottom, under Advanced Settings, enable the toggles to translate the entire sheet, copy the sheet for translation, or apply a background color to changed cells according to your preferences.
If you want to translate only specific cells and not the entire sheet, select the cells.
When you are ready, click “Translate”.
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You will see a pop-up message informing you of the number of cells to be translated. If this looks correct, select “Yes” to continue.
You will see either the edited cells or the new sheet according to the settings you selected above.
